Gun advocates deliver veto letters to governor

With Gov. Jerry Brown days away from deciding the fate of a stack of gun bills, Second Amendment advocates delivered to the Governor’s Office about 67,000 signed letters Thursday imploring him to veto the 14 prospective laws.

“California already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation and these 14 measures are particularly onerous,” said Craig DeLuz, a legislative advocate for the California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees.

Senate Bill 374, which bans detachable magazines in rifles, and Assembly Bill 711, which prohibits the use of lead ammunition, are among the measures the gun-rights groups want Brown to stop from becoming law.

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While Brown has tipped his hand on a number of controversial bills, the governor has been decidedly tight-lipped on the gun bills, many of which grew out of the outrage following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut.

DeLuz and his colleagues suspect the governor will take a reasoned look at the bills and sign some and veto others.

“Politically, we want to make sure he understands there are a lot of voters out there who believe in the Second Amendment – and that we are watching what he does,” DeLuz said.